Siblings beaten with shovel

A Petit Valley woman walked into the Four Roads Police station on Saturday night to report that her two teenage children were beaten with a shovel, flash light, pot spoon and other objects by their father and his girlfriend.

The victims, a girl who is 14 and her 15-year-old brother, were taken to a doctor who following a medical examination, confirmed that they were both victims of physical abuse. The woman wept while her children spoke to police about the abuse they suffered. The children said their father’s girlfriend often accused them of not listening to her and would beat them with whatever object is close at hand.

The beatings have been going on for sometime but on Saturday, they could take it no longer and contacted their mother who brought them to the police station. The teens are now staying with their mother and both the father and his girlfriend have been warned not to communicate with the children, while investigations are ongoing.

Also on Saturday, an employee of the Children’s Authority went to the St James Police Station at 11 am, to report that her ten-year-old neighbour was being beaten by his 37-year-old father and on Friday last, was kicked down a flight of stairs. The child has since been removed from the house and is being kept at an undisclosed location under the care of social workers from the Children’s Authority.

Police sources said the ten-year-old reported being beaten by his father and neighbours corroborated his claims saying they witnessed the man hitting his son with pieces of wood, a belt and also kicking him.

A release from the Children’s Authority, on the beating of the boy by his father, stated: “The Children’s Authority is reminding parents and guardians to seek alternative forms of correction when disciplining children. The authority notes that physical abuse continues to be one of the leading categories of abuse. Therefore parents and guardians are reminded to seek support when dealing with stressful situations involving their children.”

The authority said it is also awaiting information on the beatings of the teenage siblings by their father and his girlfriend. On Sunday, Chairman of the authority, Hanif Benjamin, revealed there had been 13,000 cases of abuse against children in this country in a two-year period.

The authority is appealing to the public to report all incidences of child abuse via its hotlines, 996 or 800-2014.